Considering the winning pedigree that comes with a 40-1-0 record and a nat-ional championship title, the Coquitlam junior Adanacs are used to facing the heat. But it’s rarely been this hot.
As their two-season record indicates, the Adanacs are still the top dog until proven otherwise.
With the New Westminster Salmonbellies doing their utmost to put a dent in the Adanacs’ armour, the reigning Minto Cup champions demonstrated on Monday that if you don’t bend, you can’t break.
Coquitlam grabbed a 2-0 series lead in the B.C. Junior A Lacrosse League final by withstanding a furious New West press in an 8-7 victory at Queen’s Park Arena. Game 3 was played Wednesday, past the Record’s deadline.
A three-goal run that began midway into the second period gave the Adanacs a cushion to work with, and they would need that cushion to stave off a desperate ’Bellies squad.
Matthew McIlwrick’s second straight tally, where he corralled a ball hot off the boards and buried it a split-second later behind New West’s Erik Kratz, proved to be the winner.
It gave Coquitlam an 8-5 lead with 3:03 to play in the second period. The host ’Bellies responded quickly, cutting the deficit to 8-6 on Nick Chaykowsky’s second of the day 20 seconds later, and moved within a goal 3:28 into the third on a powerplay tally by Carter Dickson.
But despite having a couple of glorious opportunities, including a handful from 2017 scoring champ Connor Robinson, they couldn’t put another ball behind 2016 Minto MVP Christian Del Bianco.
New West, which also had to kill a five-minute boarding major during the final period, could only shake its head and look towards the next game – deemed crucial to avoid being put in a 3-0 headlock.
“Killing five minutes we tired them out, and it gave us a chance,” remarked New West coach Todd Stockdale. “We had the ball in the best player (Robinson) in the league’s hands at the last five seconds and he hit the post again. He hit the post like four or five of those tonight.”
A final shot off the post repeated a tough trend for the home team on the night. It isn’t often that Robinson is stymied, but Monday both Del Bianco and the iron prevented the first team all-star from getting more than one goal and very possibly a series-tying win.
The 2017 Henry Delmonico Award winner as league MVP, Robinson rang separate shots off the crossbar and post in the span of a minute in the middle frame, just before beating Del Bianco to make it a 5-5 game.
But Coquitlam, which for the second straight contest surrendered the first goal but came out on the winning end, responded with three goals and a lead they could protect.
Despite nearly 40 shots between them over the final 20 minutes, only one shot would beat either Del Bianco or Kratz. The two netminders held court and stared down their offensive rivals in what became a goaltending duel.
Kratz put up the stop sign and played a big role in the five-minute penalty kill for New West, while Del Bianco stood his ground as Robinson got the ball twice in the slot in the final minute, including with three seconds remaining, only to ring the post.
“Kratzie stood on his head and made some great saves in a nine-minute penalty kill,” noted Stockdale. “Del Bianco made some great saves himself, he robbed us three times inside, kicking his foot out and stuff. Ninety per cent of those shots will go in on any goalie and he always make that big save for them.”
Chalking up three goals and an assist for New West was Carter Dickson, while Larson Sundown chipped in a single. Mitch Stokes collected five helpers.
The series continues Friday with Game 4 in New West, and a fifth game, if necessary, would be played Aug. 7 in Coquitlam. Games 6 and 7 are slated for Aug. 9 and 11, if necessary. All games start at 7:30 p.m.
